- December 4, 2025
-
-
Loading
Loading
Anna Maria Island's Laura Seubert said after experiencing hurricanes Helene and Milton in 2024, living on the island has a different feel.
"Instead of driving down the main drag marveling at the swaying palm trees, the bright sun and the smell of salt water, there is now a little sense of dread," Seubert said. "As a resident, we know what the island looked like before the storms. We know what the house looked like on what is now an empty lot. As we pull into our own driveways we remember the sweat, the tears and the effort it took to put our lives and homes back together."
Seubert is the mother of Joey Seubert, a sophomore linebacker on the Saint Stephen’s Episcopal School football team. This brought her to the football game against The Out-of-Door-Academy on Sept. 5.
Besides the game, a fundraiser organized by Lakewood Ranch’s Dylan Walker, The Out-Of-Door Academy football team captain, also took place.
Through donations and a silent auction, Walker's fundraiser raised $5,395, which will be donated to the Suncoast Disaster Recovery Fund. In addition, a portion of concession stand sales from that night will also be donated, but they hadn't yet been tallied.
The Suncoast Disaster Recovery Fund is through the Community Foundation of Sarasota County and is partnered with The Patterson Foundation in support of "long-term, human-centered recovery efforts for individuals, families, and communities in Sarasota, Manatee, DeSoto, and Charlotte counties, focusing on mental health, home repair, case management, and other essential services after major catastrophic events."
“I love football, it's one of my passions,” Walker said. “But at the end of the day, life is greater than football. It's not just about who wins on the field. It's also about helping off the field. With them being our cross town rivals, we need to have a strong community in times of desperation and need.”
In order to help the fund, Walker's Rivalry Meets Community fundraiser gathered donations from local businesses to raffle. Raffle items included Tampa Bay Rowdies tickets, a two-night stay at the Palmetto Marriott, a Tsunami restaurant gift card, and Orioles spring training tickets.
Seubert put her name into the jar for Home Depot supplies, and won.
"Of course, a weekend at a hotel sounded amazing, but the batteries, flashlights and Home Depot gift card meant that our family would be even more prepared for whatever tropical weather comes our way," Seubert said. "I found a little bit of comfort knowing our family is a little more prepared."
Walker has seen firsthand what can happen from natural disasters. His good friend Brennan Voke lives on Siesta Key, and the whole bottom floor of his home flooded due to Hurricane Milton.
“It was just heartbreaking, after the damage from Milton, going over and seeing where we used to hang out,” Walker said. “Seeing it all destroyed hit me and I wanted to be able to do something to give back to help those people.”
Michelle Croft is the director of Community Impact at the Community Foundation of Sarasota County. Croft said the Suncoast Disaster Recovery Fund does more than rebuild physical buildings and structures.
“It supports a lot of things beyond just hammers and nails,” Croft said. “Children's programs, mental health, trauma — people get traumatized from hurricanes. This fund fills those gaps.”
Croft said one good deed leads to another, and when people have a philanthropic spirit, there is a ripple effect.
“A whole community is coming together, so his one gift is now going to turn into this big gift,” Croft said. “I would think it will leave a bit of a lasting mark on his teammates and his schoolmates, like, ‘Oh, I could do that.’ You hear about big philanthropic gifts, but we really believe that everyone can be a philanthropist.”
Keonna Antipov, a freshman at ODA, was one of the volunteers who worked the fundraising table at the game. She said seeing Walker organize and implement a fundraiser had an impact on her.
“It definitely inspires me to take these steps, too, just like he does,” Antipov said. “I'm just super grateful for this awesome community around me, and I'm just excited to see what else happens.”
Andres Parra, the ODA athletic director, said Walker’s initiative shows what the ODA community represents. He said using the big rivalry game to raise awareness and money was a no brainer.
“What I like about this is it’s highlighting all the off-the-field work Dylan does, but it's important to know that he's one of our best players,” ODA Football Coach Robert Hollway said. “He's committed to Washington and Lee (Lexington City, Virginia) to play college football, so he's excelling on the field, off the field, and he is just a great representative of our community. I just want to say how proud of him I am.”
Walker said he is grateful to be able to do something like this at 17. He said it was a long process and more difficult than he anticipated.
“We have a great team here at ODA, and I have had a lot of support and we finally worked it through,” Walker said. “This is something I'm super passionate about and I would like to do something similar, whether it's in college or later on.”
“He’s driven and passionate,” said Marci Walker, Dylan's mom. “He puts his heart into everything he does, whether it's in the classroom, on the field or this.”
Marci Walker said she hopes someone else, perhaps a younger student, takes the reins and organizes a similar fundraiser next year.
“He's a captain, he's a leader, and I think he wants to set the tone for the younger kids to leave a legacy,” said his dad, Dave Walker.
